Overcoming the Ego of the World
Freedom has spread around the world. Economic prosperity, despite the financial pain of the present, continues its rapid march across the planet with the goal of including all. In the new world environment, increasingly every person has the ability to become anything he chooses. The frontiers of what we can become and the ways in which we can be fulfilled are becoming limitless. And yet within that freedom lurks a central falsehood. There is ego at the center of the world, as each grouping or collective -- whether nation, community, business, or family -- pulls in its own direction, at the expense of the ‘Other.’ For example, in America, virtually every news report is presented in terms of how its own citizens are impacted. If ten Americans perish, it is devastating. If it is thousands perish in another country or region, the story may be buried deep inside the local newspaper. It is wrought selfishness at the heart of Man. When millions die of AIDS, Malaria, and other diseases in Africa and elsewhere, and we in another region turn away saying, “What can we do,” it is callousness of the worst kind. Of course, such self-centeredness and insensitivity does not apply to the US alone, for nearly every nation has the same provincial attitude. For example, before WWII, each European nation pulled in its own direction, creating a vacuum that fascism gladly filled. As a result, more than sixty million died. It is an example of the ego of individual nations that opens the door to extreme negative consequences. Similarly, a financial crisis has risen today because earlier on the individual nations would not collaborate on a global monitoring system for such transactions. In fact, it was hardly a thought in their minds, as each nation sought to gain the upper hand in the name of speculative gain. Because the ego asserted in each case, Nature pushed back and smacked the world with a cathartic like crises. It could have been much worse. There is a Divine aspiration for ever-increasing harmony in the world. It secretly knows that humanity is capable of transmuting its ego into ever-increasing forms of cooperation, collaboration, unity, and oneness. It perceives that we can only fulfill our human potential when we shed our selfishness, self-indulgence, and self-aggrandizement, and perceive the needs of those outside our immediate family, community, region, or nation. It is a movement that connect us to the heart and soul of Others. We can begin to overcome the selfishness and ego that lurks in the heart of every collective by making a psychological shift. We need to stand back from things, quietly scan the world, and understand where we as a collective are relative to others. From that vantage point, we become cognizant of the outer social milieu and conditions, and therefore more readily reach across the gap that divides us. Making that small psychological adjustment to connect with the Other is a sign of growth and maturity of that collective. For example, as one of the managers of 'District A,' I can move to a wider consciousness and think deeply about the issues and concerns that we and surrounding districts share. Perceiving the reality this way, I am more likely to see things from the other collective’s perspective, establishing conditions for greater cooperation, collaboration, and integration. This approach can be taken for any group we are part of or have influence over -- from family head to global leader. In addition to this psychological change from “below,“ institutional changes can be adhered to from “above” that also forge greater harmony amongst the collectives; that also, in effect, break the ego of the World. For example, a World Parliament could be established to negotiate ever-increasing, ever more complex problems that can no longer be solved at the national or local level. Issues of the environment, poverty, economics, education, etc. can be rapidly discussed, agreed upon, and implemented to bring practical results to the world. Similarly, a global financial institution, such as a World Fed, could be established to set standards and monitor monetary transactions throughout the globe. The recent financial crisis showed the extreme need for such an institution, as money flowed among global institutions without the most basic controls, standards, and values. It too would keep the World Ego in check from above. Likewise, one could imagine a Global Rapid Reaction Force or World Army to solve compelling security problems that cannot be left alone to single nations like the US, nor regional alliances like NATO, which tend to act in their own self-interest. For the world to live in harmony, a more neutral, all encompassing security institution should be put in place so society can get on with the business of economic, social, and cultural integration. This too would help keep the World Ego in check. Finally, eliminating all nuclear weapons and dealings in soft arms is another important tact for creating greater stability and world harmony. This is increasingly necessary as other nations seek to expand their arsenals in the vacuum of US-Russian inaction on substantial nuclear arms reduction. It is important to keep in mind that if we fail to take such action, life will turn on us with all its fury. We see that our inability to develop a global financial regulatory institution “attracted” the financial meltdown, beginning with greed and speculation of the US real estate market. In the same way, nuclear arms are bound to spread and be used if we fail to come to substantial agreements on their reduction. (Certainly, others, including rogue-nations, will be compelled pursue that path without such an agreement.) In sum, the world is changing rapidly, and global solutions that the local domain cannot solve are increasingly in demand. Cooperative change from above can control the narcissistic Ego of the collectives of the World, while harnessing world power for social progress and evolution. And yet this movement must also occur from the other direction. Each collective, from family to nation, must stand back and see the world for what it is, i.e. from all viewpoints, and thus clearly perceive the utility of cooperation and collaboration. Better still is to see that we are all parts of a whole, and cannot progress when we think only of ourselves. That the needs of the Other are essential to our own success, accomplishment, and delight. Best of all is to take pleasure in the success of the collectives outside our own. It is a spiritual position of the Soul that sees the world through the eyes of another, sincerely aspiring for their happiness and success. It is the most conscious and powerful way to bring about progress in the world. Humanity has made great progress in the last hundred years, and especially the last thirty. Man has become more mental, shedding much of his physical consciousness and animality. Slowly his mind is opening to wider vistas, embracing the variety of truths about any matter, not just those that one is comfortable with or are are self-serving. Education, Internet, and Media push us in that direction -- making us more aware of global conditions and possibilities; breaking down the mental barriers we have erected that support our selfish concerns and interests. Still the knot of the Ego of the World is wrapped tightly. It strangles minds, preventing openness and tolerance; blocking our ability to see multiple truths beyond our own. That knot must be loosened for Man to progress without the threat of danger; without the inevitable travail and suffering. That can only occur if the collectives of humanity looks out through a wider lens, perceiving the needs of Others as inextricably linked to their own. At that point, we begin to shed the Ego of the World, opening the door to a New Age of common interest, shared accomplishment, and deep fulfillment in life. --Roy Posner 20:39, October 5, 2009 (UTC) Category:Development Category:Peace Category:Economy Category:Psychology Category:Relationships Category:Social Evolution Category:Human Unity